Yesterday was Black Friday – or, as the North SHore Animal League put it, Bark Friday. I used to be pretty good at using sales and coupons, butnow that I’m retired and my time is my own, that is more important to me. And the pandemic just made thatmindset even stronger. Not that I would shop on Black Friday on principle. But I hope that those who do shop (many of whom are working to hard for too little pay) find bargains that stretch their budgets farther than they dreamed. Also yesterday, I “printed” (to pdf) DCCC’s guide to what facts to have handy when dealing with Republican relatives. It was intended for Thanksgiving, but by the time I received the email, Thanksgiving was over. However, there’s always Christmas. It loads huge and prints weird (I ended up zooming out, snapshotting it a page at a time – it’s only 4 pages – putting the snapshots into a Word document, and “printing” that. But there are probably ways to manipulate the online pdf to print better.) If you have any Republican relatives, or know someone who does and could use it, here’s the link.
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Short Takes –
Crooks & Liars – Dems Already Going On Offense Against Coming House Investigations
Quote – The New York Times reports that a network of Democrat-aligned groups is planning “a multimillion-dollar counteroffensive,” including a “SWAT team,” to combat the coming deluge of GOP investigations into President Biden, his family and his administration. Although the White House is planning its own defense, the outside groups plan to push back “in a more adversarial manner,” the Times says…. The Democratic counteroffensive is designed to avoid another Benghazi which, fake scandal that it was, nonetheless dragged down Hillary Clinton. Some of those involved in the efforts include Facts First USA, whose president is David Brock, the former right-wing hit man turned left-wing advocate; the Center for American Progress; and the Congressional Integrity Project. Click through for more informaion, and links to both the Times and Politico. The money is not taxpayer money but activist money (from some pretty flush activists.)
Mother Jones – After Decades of Public Service, Dr. Fauci Gives His Final White House Briefing
Quote – His departing message to the public: get vaccinated before the holidays. “My final message, maybe the final message I give you from this podium, is, please, for your own safety and the safety of your own family, please get your updated COVID-19 shot as soon as you’re eligible,” Fauci told reporters. Click through for article. I have nothing to add to the Food for Thought.
Lakota People’s Law – Help the Cherokee Nation Seat a Congressional Delegate
I had a video up on this yesterday (which was made before the hearing). Then O got this emai from Chase Iron Eyes, including:
“[A]fter nearly two centuries of delay, Congress held its first ever hearing on the subject — and it went very well! To be clear, it isn’t a done deal. However, as NPR accurately reports, last week’s House Rules Committee hearing represents by far the biggest step the federal government has ever taken toward fulfilling a promise it made to the Cherokee way back in 1835’s Treaty of New Echota. And while we can’t celebrate prematurely, the U.S. government making progress toward doing what it said it would for any Native nation is historic and a reason for optimism.”
Now Chase is asking us to write to our Representatives and encourage them to accept the selected delegate, Kimberly Teehee. The link above is to the page to help you do that – thre is also a video, which is a bit over a half hour, and doesn’t have CC there, but it does on YouTube at this link
Yesterday, one of my newsletter included a link to an article whose title included both “Roe v Wade” and “Brown v Board,” and it occurred to me that we may have missed an opportunity back in 1954. At that time one big scream that was comong from all the racist maniacs was “miscegenation !!!” (which incidentally demonstrates that sexualizing children for poitical purposes is not new.) I wondered what would have happened had we responded “All right, then, we will integrate all school, bit all schools will eiher be all-girl or all-boy.” Obviously, had this been accepted, we would have created a set of entirely different but at least equally damaging problems, but one thing it might have accomplished was to create some deep and enduring friendships which crossed the color line. At that time we as a nation did not know everything about gender that the sane among us now know – it would not be possible to try or even suggest it today (and it would fuel even deeper misogyny if we could.) We do need better public education, and the education that we need is being actively opposed, and in too many areas successfully opposed. All I could come up with was “We need to pro-ctively form diverse and representative coalitions,” and we probably already knew that. It was just a thought.
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AP News – 102-year-old WWII veteran from segregated mail unit honored
Quote – Presented with the medal citation and a wartime uniform to replace hers, which was stolen out of a car soon after she returned stateside, [Romay] Davis received a standing ovation; some in the crowd applauded with tears in their eyes…. Davis, in an interview at her home Monday, said the unit was due the recognition, and she’s glad to participate on behalf of other members who’ve already passed away. “I think it’s an exciting event, and it’s something for families to remember,” Davis said. “It isn’t mine, just mine. No. It’s everybody’s.” Click through for story. About (expletive) time.
The Daily Beast – There’s One Thing Standing Between Us and the COVID Vaccination of Our Dreams
Quote – The new COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax is safe and effective. Better yet, it’s easy to ship and store, making it ideal for poorer countries that are still under-vaxxed. The company’s shot, called Nuvaxovid, could reshape the vaccine landscape as the pandemic grinds into its 32nd month. More protection for more people against ever-more-contagious new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Assuming Novavax can produce enough doses on time, that is. Manufacturing problems could doom the new jab’s wider rollout. Click through for details. After a lot of thought, and because I never fgo anywhere (except to the prison system, and they are CoViD hawks), I’ve decided to wwait for the new vaxx in the fall rather than getting a summer booster (getting both doesn’t seem to be getting recommended.) I don’t expect it to be final, but I’m hoping for it to be at least a bit longer lasting (and address newer variants.)
Just one additional note – Denali National Park – understandably – has a modest breeding program for sled dogs (one litter a year and includes outbreeding to strengthen the genetic base.) This year’s litter can now be observed on their PuppyCam. I’m a cat person rather than a dog person myself – but puppies are cute (as are most baby mammals).
Glenn – J6 committee subpoenas WH Counsel Pat Cipollone. Will he testify or coverup Trump’s crimes?
Meidas Touch – Michael Cohen REACTS to Trump attacks on Cassidy Hutchinson
Robert Reich – The Supreme Court’s War on the People (yes, I also used the text article.)
Beloved Community Talks | The Replacement Theory and White Fear: It Starts in Our Minds
This is a seminar produced by The King Center through “The Beloved Comunity Speaks” program, and it is 45 minutes even after I cut off some intro. I don’t expect anyone to watch it without setting aside time to do so, and I understand anyone who doesn’t want to do that. I share it mainly because I have a long online relationship with Scott. When he first “came out” on LinkedIn as a “reformed racist” in 2010 (and asked for advice how best to help eliminate racism from anyone willing to give it), I was new to LinkedIn myself but I felt I had to respond with support, and we have been LinkedIn contacts ever since. It hasn’t been easy for him (racism is not the only thing he is recovering from) but he has never wavered. He works with The King Center at least annually now. I’m proud to know him.
Puppet Regine – CoVid-19
Beau – Let’s talk about Elmo and a phrase I never thought I say….
Yesterday was Federal Juneteenth in accordance with the Monday Holiday Law. CPR News reported that, as a rough estimate, about half of workers got the day off. CPR News also cited coverage by Denverite magazine of the Juneteenth Music Festival in the Five Points area of Denver, which, based on the photos and anecdotes, must have been a joy to behold. However, Occupy Democrats cited a Yahoo News story that 26 states have not authorized funding for the holiday That report inspired me to use the cartoon I chose today for Food for Thought. I remember thatit took forever to some states to recognize MLK Day also – and some I belive still haven’t. It’s a sobering thought indeed.
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Short Takes –
Crooks & Liars – Raskin Says Trump ‘Essentially’ Confessed: ‘I Did It And I’ll Do It Again’
Quote – “This public admission that essentially he wanted continues after laying out of all this evidence,” Todd said. “Is he confessing?” “Yeah, he essentially saying, yeah, I did it and I’ll do it again,” Raskin agreed, “which is what we have been contending all along, that if you allow impunity for attempts at unconstitutional seizures of power, which is what a coup is, then you’re inviting it again in the future.” Click through for a little more including a short video clip. I wonder how Jamie got Chuck to ask an intelligent question.
The Daily Beast – This May Be the COVID Variant Scientists Are Dreading
Quote – A pair of new subvariants of the dominant Omicron variant—BA.4 and BA.5—appear to be driving the uptick in cases in the U.K. Worryingly, these subvariants seem to partially dodge antibodies from past infection or vaccination, making them more transmissible than other forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus…. Eric Bortz, a University of Alaska-Anchorage virologist and public-health expert, described BA.4 and BA.5 as “immunologically distinct sublineages.” In other words, they interact with our antibodies in surprising new ways. Click through for details. It also may not. But I believe it’s wise to stay on guard.
Yesterday, I started work on cartoons for the second 10 days of June (I did finish framing and watermarking the ones for the first ten days Thursday.) I also discovered Randy Rainbow has a couple of new videos up. Neither is a parody, though – they are from the first album he has released. So I will get them into Video Threads, but on slow days. There are things that need to come first (like Mrs. Betty Bowers).
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The Daily Beast – The Massive Screwup That Could Let COVID Bypass Our Vaccines
Quote – The leading Western vaccine manufacturers are focusing on developing boosters specifically for the recent Omicron variant. But by the time these boosters are ready in the fall, Omicron is likely to have been replaced by a new and more dangerous variant. Two years ago the world worked together to develop highly effective messenger-RNA vaccines, and fast. Today there’s less money and less urgency, meaning vaccine development is slowing at precisely the moment the virus is speeding up. Click through for discussion. Like so many things, it appears to come down to Republicans.
CPR News – Elijah McClain’s mother attends signing of executive order on police reform, but says Biden’s plan wouldn’t have helped her son
Quote – The order, which affects federal law enforcement only, will create a national database of police misconduct, bans chokeholds and tracks data on use of force incidents for all federal law enforcement. It also orders new guidance on the use of substances, like ketamine, outside of a hospital setting…. “It would not have kept my son alive. If this executive order would have been in place on the day he died, he still would have died,” she said, in a phone interview from a bench on the White House lawn. “There needs to be so much more done on the state level.” Click through for more. If I may correct the headline, it’s not the plan which is insufficient – it’s that an executive order can only apply to federal law enforcement, and the cops who killed ELijah were state and/or municipal. (I still take Elijah’s death personally, having been a violinist myself in a previous lifetime.) She does say the President did the best he could.
US News and World Report – California Senate Advances Newsom-Sponsored Gun Bill Modeled After Texas’ Abortion Law
Quote – Among the bills is one proposed by Newsom that takes a cue from Texas’ abortion law, replicating its unusual mechanism, which deputizes private citizens as its enforcers. Gun manufacturers have largely been shielded from lawsuits associated with their product under federal law. The California rule would allow private citizens to sue anyone who manufactures, distributes or sells so-called “assault weapons” or ghost guns or parts in the state. And, just as importantly, it would provide incentive to do so, with an end goal of removing such weapons from circulation. CLick through for story. This comes the same week that Speaker Pelosi publicly stated that she would refuse to accept communion from Archbishop Cordileone as long as he was in contempt of the Pope’s directive to refuse communion to no one. If more California Democrats are going to start trolling Republicans in real time, I can’t wait to hear from Ted Lieu.
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
Immunology is a relatively new field of medicine, and so it’s not surprising that there ia a lot we don’t know – and by them I mean there is a lot that immunologists don’t know. But even the stuff that immunologists know, there is w lot that regular people don’t know – and some of that would be helpful. One thing which would be really helpful (and likely is not completely grasped even by immunologists) would be how long each particular immunization can be expected to last. I know no one has ever suggested that I get a second shot of, for instance, gamma globulin. However, I have had three smallpox vaccinations over the course of my lifetime (only two of which I was old enough to remember getting.) And tetanus – I’ve been fortunate enough not to have been exposed, but Virgil has had several tetanus boosters since we’ve been married, each due to some mishap while doing custodial work.
This article is highly simplified for non=medical people, but it’s straigjhtfoward enough to give us a basic understanding some reasons behind boosting and not boosting, and even a feel for the directions in which immunologocal research are going.
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Why we can’t ‘boost’ our way out of the COVID-19 pandemic for the long term
Although the COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives, they have been insufficient at preventing breakthrough infections. Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images
The mRNA vaccines currently used in the U.S. against COVID-19 have been highly successful at preventing hospitalization and death. The Commonwealth Fund recently reported that in the U.S. alone, the vaccines have prevented over 2 million people from dying and over 17 million from hospitalization.
Because of this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently endorsed a second booster shot for individuals 50 years of age and older and people who are immunocompromised. Other countries including Israel, the U.K. and South Korea have also approved a second booster.
However, it has become increasingly clear that the second booster does not provide long-lasting protection against breakthrough infections. As a result, it will be necessary to retool the existing vaccines to increase the duration of protection in order to help bring the pandemic to an end.
It’s a bit of a medical mystery: Why are mRNA vaccines so successful in preventing the serious form of COVID-19 but not so great at protecting against breakthrough infections? Understanding this concept is critical for stopping new infections and controlling the pandemic.
COVID-19 infection is unique in that the majority of people who get it recover with mild to moderate symptoms, while a small percentage get the severe disease that can lead to hospitalization and death.
Understanding how our immune system works during the mild versus severe forms of COVID-19 is also important to the process of developing more targeted vaccines.
When people are first exposed to SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – or to a vaccine against COVID-19, the immune system activates two key types of immune cells, called B and T cells. The B cells produce Y-shaped protein molecules called antibodies. The antibodies bind to the protruding spike protein on the surface of the virus. This blocks the virus from entering a cell and ultimately prevents it from causing an infection.
However, if not enough antibodies are produced, the virus can escape and infect the host cells. When this happens, the immune system activates what are known as killer T cells. These cells can recognize virus-infected cells immediately after infection and destroy them, thereby preventing the virus from replicating and causing widespread infection.
Thus, there is increasing evidence that antibodies may help prevent breakthrough infections while the killer T cells provide protection against the severe form of the disease.
Why booster shots?
The B cells and T cells are unique in that after they mount an initial immune response, they get converted into memory cells. Unlike antibodies, memory cells can stay in a person’s body for several decades and can mount a rapid response when they encounter the same infectious agent. It is because of such memory cells that some vaccines against diseases such as smallpox provide protection for decades.
But with certain vaccines, such as hepatitis, it is necessary to give multiple doses of a vaccine to boost the immune response. This is because the first or second dose is not sufficient to induce robust antibodies or to sustain the memory B and T cell response.
This boosting, or amplifying of the immune response, helps to increase the number of B cells and T cells that can respond to the infectious agent. Boosting also triggers the memory response, thereby providing prolonged immunity against reinfection.
That diminished protection even after the third dose is what led the CDC to endorse the fourth shot of COVID-19 vaccine – called the second booster – for people who are immunocompromised and those aged 50 and older.
However, a recent preliminary study from Israel that has not yet been peer-reviewed showed that the second booster did not further boost the immune response but merely restored the waning immune response seen during the third dose. Also, the second booster provided little extra protection against COVID-19 when compared to the initial three doses.
So while the second booster certainly provides a small benefit to the most vulnerable people by extending immune protection by a few months, there has been considerable confusion over what the availability of the fourth shot means for the general population.
Frequent boosting and immune exhaustion
In addition to the inability of the current COVID-19 vaccines to provide long-term immunity, some researchers believe that frequent or constant exposure to foreign molecules found in an infectious agent may cause immune “exhaustion.”
Such a phenomenon has been widely reported with HIV infection and cancer. In those cases, because the T cells “see” the foreign molecules all the time, they can get worn down and fail to rid the body of the cancer or HIV.
Evidence also suggests that in severe cases of COVID-19, the killer T cells may be exhibiting immune exhaustion and therefore be unable to mount a strong immune response. Whether repeated COVID-19 vaccine boosters can cause similar T cell exhaustion is a possibility that needs further study.
Role of adjuvants to boost vaccine-induced immunity
Another reason why the mRNA vaccines have failed to induce sustained antibody and memory response may be related to ingredients called adjuvants. Traditional vaccines such as those for diphtheria and tetanus use adjuvants to boost the immune response. These are compounds that activate the innate immunity that consists of cells known as macrophages. These are specialized cells that help the T cells and B cells, ultimately inducing a stronger antibody response.
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Because mRNA-based vaccines are a relatively new class of vaccines, they do not include the traditional adjuvants. The current mRNA vaccines used in the U.S. rely on small balls of fat called lipid nanoparticles to deliver the mRNA. These lipid molecules can act as adjuvants, but how precisely these molecules affect the long-term immune response remains to be seen. And whether the current COVID-19 vaccines’ failure to trigger strong long-lived antibody response is related to the adjuvants in the existing formulations remains to be explored.
While the current vaccines are highly effective in preventing severe disease, the next phase of vaccine development will need to focus on how to trigger a long-lived antibody response that would last for at least a year, making it likely that COVID-19 vaccines will become an annual shot.
============================================================== Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, being vaguely aware of this (though I didn’t know the technical term or anything close to this much) is why I hvae been so scrupulous in waiting the full recommended time between shots, and maybe a little more, just to be on the safe side. I won’t get my fourth (and probably last, unless something new comes up) shot before at least the third week in MAy. And will be hanging on to those masks (and mask extenders).
Yesterday, the opera was “Elektra,” by Richard Strauss, about one of the earliest and most dysfunctional families. They weren’t doing so badly until Paris met Helen, whose brother-in-law was Agamemnon (a much better general that Menelaus, Helen’t husband), who in irder to assure victory in Troy sacrificed one of his daughters, Iphegenia, for which his wife, Klytemnestra, (understandably) never forgave him. So in the ten years he was gone, she took a lover, Aegisth, and when he got back they mirdered him. This did not sit well with the children – Elektra, Chrysothemis, and their brother Orest (who had fled in fear for his own life), but Elektra and Chrysothemis did not feel competent to kill their mother and stepfather so they were stuck waiting for Orest to return. And here the opera begins. Chrysothemis really just wants a normal life; it is Elektra who is obsessed with revenge, and rants a lot to anyone who will listen, and to the gods. Eventually Orest does return and kills the guilty pair (off stage, thankfully), leading to Elektra’s final rant, a dance of victory. (Incidentally, the situation put Orest into a bind with the Furies – he was cursed if he killed his mother, but equally cursed if he failed to avenge his father’s murder. His trial by the gods is how the Furies got their other name of Eumenedes, and their other mission of resolving impossible situations. But that trial was after this opera ends.) Nina Stemme, who sang Elektra is probably the top dramatic soprano of today, as were Kirsten Flagstad and Birgit Nilsson before her. And a soprano really needs to be at the top to sing this part. But the rest of the cast cannot be slouches either. It also demands a fair amount from the audience – as do all Greek tragedies, whether spoken or sung. They weren’t intended as entertainment.
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Crooks and Liars – Russian Wife Laughingly Authorizes Her Husband To Rape Ukrainian Women
Quote – A conversation in which a woman invites a man to rape Ukrainian women was published by the Security Service of Ukraine on April 12. From the recording, it can be assumed that the published fragment is part of a longer dialogue. The man turned out to be Roman Bykovsky, a former conscript of the Russian Guard, and then a soldier of the 108th Guards Airborne Assault Regiment, which participated in the annexation of Crimea. It was here that he recently moved his family from Russia. Click through – if you have a barf bag. I am not making this up.
Daily Beast – FDA Grants Emergency Authorization to First COVID-19 Breath Test
Quote – The first breath test for the virus collects a sample in a manner similar to blowing up a balloon, and can be analyzed for results in under three minutes. “Today’s authorization is yet another example of the rapid innovation occurring with diagnostic tests for Covid-19,” Jeff Shuren, the director of the F.D.A.’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said in a statement. The company behind the test, InspectIR, reported that, in a study of just under 2,500 people, it could correctly detect a COVID-19 infection 91.2 percent of the time Click through for details. I just received my first shipment of four free tests (rapid, swab in the nose) which take about 15-20 minutes. I can handle the annoyance if necessary, but this is a great development for peole for whom the discomfort is a deal breaker.
Daily Kos (Marissa Higgins) – Watch openly gay Democrat tell anti-trans Republican colleague exactly what he needs to hear
Quote – [Mackey (D)]: “I recall a story you told. About your brother….And I remember you said that your b[r]other, or, rather, your mother called to tell you that your brother had some news that he was afraid to tell you…. And your brother wanted to tell you that he was gay, didn’t he?… Can I tell you, if I were your brother? I would have been afraid to tell you, too.” [Basye (R)] “Well, I’m sorry.” And that was meager remark was enough to let Mackey really unleash the heart of his argument. Click through for full argument. You might need a tissue.
Food For Thought: Peace
I think thr author would give me permission to republuish it. But I want to share it today, on Easter. And this is a short and easy-to-save link. (The picture is not of the author’s property, but it is of a place within the historic Onondaga territory.)
